Local Legislator Honored

(South Coast Today) Keiko Orrall, Massachusetts state representative, is in Japan this week on the 2014 Japanese American Leadership Delegation (JALD) program, which brings 10 prominent Japanese Americans to Japan for a week-long trip dedicated to building people-to-people connections with Japanese leaders. In its 14th year, JALD provides opportunities for Japanese Americans to establish a meaningful role in strengthening U.S.-Japan relations across all sectors of society.

Rep. Orrall and the other delegates will visit Fukuoka in the Kyushu region, an economically and culturally dynamic prefecture where many Japanese Americans have their ancestral roots. They will also participate in a panel discussion sponsored by the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership and the U.S.-Japan Council (USJC), where Rep. Orrall will present as a panelist. The delegates will then visit Tokyo, where past delegations have typically met with the prime minister, foreign minister and top business executives, among others. This is Rep. Orrall's first visit to Japan.